To the Humane Society/Shelter Worker

Thank you for facing daily the true test of courage and love. To give what time and affection you can to those who are homeless and unloved through no fault of their own, and to make their passing from this world as painless as possible.

I can't imagine the pain you must feel to work daily among the innocents who wait in bewilderment for someone to come and take them home again, to watch the hope fade from their eyes, to see them fill with fear and betrayal.

To look at a gentle, loving, older dog, who perhaps has just lost his person of many years through their aging, whose heart is already breaking, and know you will have to take his life. Why? Because the cages are full. Because they just keep coming in…and because that litter of puppies that someone just dumped at least have a better shot at being adopted than he does.

How many times a day you must think if only.

If only people thought about the consequences before they brought an animal into their lives - do you have the space, the time, the lifetime commitment of up to 15 years or so to care for that animal? If so, there should be very few older animals brought into the shelter.

If only people spay/neutered their pets at an early age. Shelters would not be flooded in the springtime with kittens and puppies.

If only people kept their pets inside or at minimum in fenced yards so they could not get lost or hurt. There would be fewer stray and injured pets to be turned into the shelter.

If only communities would work together to capture, spay/neuter, release and care for feral cats. There would be no reproduction, and their presence would keep anything else from moving into their territory. Fewer animals killed simply trying to survive, fewer wild cats with no hope for adoption turned in to the shelter.

If only we would do our part - take responsibility for our actions and live up to our commitments - there would be more empty cages in shelters. One day, there might be so many empty cages that shelter workers would find themselves out of a job…and I don't think they would mind at all.

In the meantime, lets try to remember to say a word of thanks to those who are doing our dirty work.

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What is it like to work at an animal shelter?

I cannot describe in words what it is like to work at an animal shelter. I can try to explain situations or events and give you the opportunity to peek behind the scenes of our daily life at the shelter. The comment I hear the most frequently from individuals is " I don't know how you work out there every day, I could never do that". I will use this forum to answer the question that has been haunting me for over eight years. I feel many people focus on the negative aspect of what we see and deal with. I/We as shelter employees cannot focus on the ones we could not save. We have an estimated 80 dogs and 60 cats that rely on us each day for food, comfort, love and medical care. The animals recognize each staff member and they are all individuals in personality and qualities. Each one of us has our own reasons why we get out of bed each day to have our hearts wrenched with anger and sadness. For me, it is the abused dog rescued, the starved dog fed, and the petrified cat calmed. The most rewarding feeling is seeing the wagging tail of one of my favorites walking out the door ready and eager to embark on his second chance.